Where do Clean Air Zones fit in the green recovery?
Laura Thornton and Stuart Thomson, the legal director and head of public affairs respectively at BDB Pitmans, look at Clean Air Zones and the green recovery.
New parents asked to answer questionnaire on early years’ development
18/09/2020 New parents and health service professionals are being asked to contribute to a Government review on ways to improve the healthy development of infants. |
Welsh sport and leisure sector welcomes £14m recovery funding
17/09/2020 The Welsh government has announced a £14m funding package to support Wales’ sport and leisure sector during the Covid-19 lockdown. |
Parents call on councils to improve school air quality
15/09/2020 Parents call on councils to improve air quality as research suggests 50% reduction in pollution could halve number of children?with?poor lung function. |
Care home providers warned of Covid-19 rise
14/09/2020 Department of Health & Social Care has written to care home providers in England warning them of the risk of a rise in coronavirus cases in the care sector. |
Download forthcoming NHS Covid app, council chiefs say
14/09/2020 Local authority leaders have urged everyone to download the forthcoming NHS Covid-19 app once it is available as fears of a second wave of coronavirus rise. |
Councils welcome decision not to ease restrictions in Trafford and Bolton
03/09/2020 Lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Bolton and Trafford following a request from council leaders. |
New scheme to support self-isolating workers does not go ‘far enough’, Burnham says
27/08/2020 Mayor Andy Burnham has criticised the Government’s announcement of a new payment for people who are self-isolating, arguing it ‘goes nowhere near far enough’. |
Local authorities struggling to enforce rules on chemical safety
24/08/2020 Councils unable to enforce rules on chemical safety as new research shows one in four products tested contain dangerous levels of hazardous chemicals. |
Fifth of care homes took on Covid patients, survey reveals
24/08/2020 One in five care homes had to accept patients discharged from hospital who had tested positive for COVID-19 during the early part of the pandemic, a survey has found. |
Government announces nearly £600m to help people return home from hospital
24/08/2020 People needing care after being discharged from hospital will be supported by a £588m fund to cover social care or costs of care at home, Government says. |
Council chiefs warn of ‘surge’ of post-lockdown dental treatments
24/08/2020 Local authority leaders have warned of a potential post-coronavirus surge of dental treatments following the lifting of lockdown. |
Hancock under pressure on anti-obesity plans following PHE closure
24/08/2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock is under growing pressure today to say who will take responsibility for the national fight against obesity following his decision to close down Public Health England (PHE). |
Government announces £3m fund to support babies from deprived or BAME backgrounds
21/08/2020 The Government has announced a new £3.3m fund to give babies from deprived areas or BAME backgrounds the best start in life. |
West Midlands councils warn they are at a ‘crossroads’ in fight against Covid-19
21/08/2020 Seven West Midlands councils have called for support to ensure that Covid-19 testing is widely available as the Birmingham CC warns they are ‘at a crossroads’. |
Government announces ‘legally binding targets’ to tackle climate change
19/08/2020 The Government has set out a series of legally binding targets under the Environment Bill to combat climate change. |
Council chiefs urge parents to ensure vaccinations are ‘up to date’
17/08/2020 Local authorities are urging parents, families and guardians to contact their local GP, school or health centre to make sure their children’s vaccinations are up to date. |
Government announces £5m for COVID-19 ‘social prescribing’
17/08/2020 The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) has been awarded £5m to help people stay connected and maintain their health and wellbeing following the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Lockdown restrictions extended in northern England
17/08/2020 Restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been extended in parts of the North West, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester after the number of infections failed to drop. |
Councils to pilot new NHS Test and Trace app
14/08/2020 The Isle of Wight Council and Newham Council are trialling the revamped NHS Test and Trace app. |
COVID-19 test reveals 6% of population infected by mid-July
13/08/2020 The first report from the world’s largest home antibody testing programme tracking COVID-19 in England has found 6% of the population is infected with coronavirus. |
Demand could overwhelm mental health services, report warns
12/08/2020 People with mental health issues are at risk of not getting the support they need due to increasing demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a report has warned today. |
Public back investment for ‘15-minute’ communities
07/08/2020 There is a growing trend to create '15-minute communities' through investment in public health, green infrastructure and town centres, a new survey has revealed. |
Progress on health and social care pledges to be rated under new system
05/08/2020 The Government's progress on health and social care pledges will be evaluated under a new rating system, the Health and Social Care Committee has announced. |
Council launches local test and trace system
05/08/2020 Blackburn with Darwen Council has launched a local coronavirus tracing system in partnership with Public Health England. |
'Breathable billboard' unveiled as part of air quality campaign
31/07/2020 A 'breathable billboard' has been launched to help encourage local authorities to tackle air pollution as part of the COVID-19 recovery strategy. |
Hancock's new rules to halt COVID spread
31/07/2020 New rules on social gatherings have been introduced in Northern England as the number of COVID cases has started to rise. |
National Food Strategy calls for more free school meals
29/07/2020 Free school dinners should be extended to every child where their parent or guardian is receiving Universal Credit, a report has recommended today. |
Continuing down the path to hepatitis C elimination
28/07/2020 Rachel Halford explains how multi-agency partnership working during the pandemic has helped to test and treat people for the hepatitis C virus. |
New design toolkit to create 'healthy housing'
24/07/2020 New design guidance to ensure housing developments create healthier communities has been launched. |
Millions more people to be offered free flu vaccine
24/07/2020 More than 30 million people in England will be offered a free flu vaccination in a bid to ease the pressure on the NHS this winter. |
Luton takes steps to avoid a local lockdown
23/07/2020 Luton Borough Council has urged residents to get tested for coronavirus after a rise in infections rates in the area. |
Hancock announces plans to share more data
20/07/2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced plans to share more data with local government in a bid to help track and trace COVID-19 cases more effectively. |
Leisure centres under threat, warn councils
20/07/2020 Hundreds of leisure facilities are under ‘immediate threat of closure’ due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, English and Welsh councils have warned ministers. |
Leicester mayor ‘frustrated’ by extended lockdown
17/07/2020 The Government has been accused of taking a ‘sledgehammer approach’ to the local lockdown of Leicester by mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. |
PM announces new powers for local lockdown
17/07/2020 Councils will get new powers to shut down premises in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus as we head towards the next phase of the pandemic, the Prime Minister has announced. |
Blackburn with Darwen announces new local measures to control virus
15/07/2020 Blackburn with Darwen Council has introduced five new local measures to control the spread of coronavirus, including wearing masks in all enclosed public spaces. |
Government 'failed to prepare' on PPE, say MPs
08/07/2020 The Government has failed to ensure there is enough personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of a second wave of coronavirus, a watchdog has warned today. |
Less than one in seven people are now smokers, data reveals
08/07/2020 The number of smokers in the UK has fallen from 14.7% in 2018 to 14.1% in 2019, according to official figures. |
Call for £5.5bn to level up access to urban green spaces
07/07/2020 The prime minister has been urged to invest £5.5bn to 'level up' access to urban green spaces by a coalition of councils, city leaders and charities. |
Local public health teams should manage contact tracing, poll reveals
02/07/2020 Two-thirds of the public want local public health teams to be in charge of the contact tracing system, a new poll has revealed. |
Parks are a 'smart investment' argues new report
24/06/2020 Parks save the health service over £2bn a year making them a ‘smart investment’, according to the Parks Alliance (TPA). |
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
23/06/2020 Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested. |
Saliva coronavirus test to be trialled in Southampton
22/06/2020 Southampton City Council will be piloting a new ‘no-swab’ saliva test for coronavirus. |
Khan calls for face masks to be mandatory
19/06/2020 Mayor of London yesterday called on the Government to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory for customers in shops and other confined public spaces. |
Councils call for clarity on local lockdowns
16/06/2020 Councils this week called for clarity on the legal powers they will have if they are forced to implement local coronavirus lockdowns. |
Campaigners call for details on reopening playgrounds
04/06/2020 The Government has been urged to invest £100m in play provision to avoid a ‘catastrophic’ impact on children’s health by the Association of Play Industries (API). |
Why recovery will bring a new healthcare estate
03/06/2020 Gareth Banks explains why Covid-19 will create a new impetus to revise healthcare estates and build a health infrastructure that can support new demands. |
Contact tracing app could leave ‘many behind’ charity warns
03/06/2020 The government's contact tracing app could exacerbate existing health inequalities, a charity has warned today. |
Alliance calls to extend gambling harm protections after lockdown
02/06/2020 Measures to protect people from gambling harm should be extended beyond the lockdown, the Gambling Health Alliance (GHA) has said. |
Betts calls for clarity on local outbreak control plans
02/06/2020 Councils need more clarity on the role they will play in devising local outbreak control plans, the chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has said. |
Pan-London partnership for PPE launched
19/05/2020 A new pan-London partnership has been established to provide personal protective equipment or care homes and other frontline services. |
Johnson announces £600m for infection control in care homes
14/05/2020 Councils have welcomed the £600m extra funding for infection control within care homes. |
North West mayors call for regional data on Covid-19 infection rates
13/05/2020 Two mayors have called on the Government to publish a regional breakdown of the 'R' infection rate for coronavirus. |
Leeds chief takes on key contract tracing role
13/05/2020 Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan will take on a key role in the Government’s contact tracing programme in the battle against coronavirus. |
Councils urge people to avoid tourist hotspots
12/05/2020 Council leaders and tourism bodies have warned that local residents could be put at risk if people flock to tourist hotspots now the lockdown restrictions have been eased. |
Over one million food boxes delivered to clinically vulnerable
07/05/2020 Local authorities have helped deliver more than one million food boxes to the most clinically vulnerable. |
Researchers propose a two-tier approach to ending lockdown
06/05/2020 The UK should adopt a twin approach to relaxing restrictions for lockdown in order to protect the most vulnerable, academics have said. |
Two councils join forces to address health inequalities
06/05/2020 Two councils have joined together to tackle health inequalities affecting Black African and Caribbean communities. |
Only 22% of social care workers have been able to access Covid-19 testing
06/05/2020 Less than a quarter of social care workers have been able to access testing for Covid-19, a new survey has revealed. |
Vulnerable people struggling to access food, watchdog warns
05/05/2020 Vulnerable people are still struggling to access food and basic supplies during the pandemic, a consumer watchdog has warned today. |
Council staff to test contact-tracing app on the Isle of Wight
05/05/2020 Council staff on the Isle of Wight will be the first to test a new contact tracing app to help control the spread of coronavirus. |
Deprived areas see twice as many deaths from Covid-19
01/05/2020 The most deprived areas have experienced twice as many deaths from Covid-19 than the least deprived, new figures show. |
Coronavirus testing extended to frontline council staff
24/04/2020 Council staff with symptoms of Covid-19 will be able to get tested for the virus, the Government has announced. |
Coronavirus testing to be rolled out across social care sector
15/04/2020 The Government has pledged to offer testing for coronavirus to all social care staff and care home residents. |
Officials warn coronavirus impact could trigger measles outbreak
15/04/2020 The UK is at risk of a measles outbreak if routine vaccinations are delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Measles & Rubella Initiative has warned. |
Spike in deaths led to fears of care homes crisis
14/04/2020 A huge spike in the number of UK deaths has led to fears the pandemic is rife in care homes. |
Testing to be rolled out to care workers
09/04/2020 Coronavirus testing could soon be rolled out to care home workers, MPs have been told. |
Study questions impact of closing schools to contain coronavirus
08/04/2020 School closures have not had a ‘significant effect’ on preventing the spread of coronavirus, a new study has revealed. |
Counties voice concern over capacity of community pharmacies
07/04/2020 County councils have warned that local pharmacies could struggle to deliver medicine in rural and remote locations. |
Charity warns of ‘unacceptable decline in life expectancy’ in poor areas
27/03/2020 A health charity has warned that even before the current pandemic the UK was experiencing a decline in life expectancy in the poorer parts of the country. |
Hotels supporting key workers and homeless to stay open
26/03/2020 Hotels, hostels and B&Bs supporting key workers and vulnerable people are to remain open as part of the effort to contain the coronavirus. |
‘Social care needs you’, retired care workers told
26/03/2020 Council chiefs urge retired care workers to return to work in order to boost an over-stretched social care workforce in the face of the ongoing pandemic. |
Social workers ‘urgently’ need hand sanitizer, survey reveals
25/03/2020 Social workers have called on the Government to provide them with safety equipment in order to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus. |
Charity says it ‘defies belief’ that renters evicted during a pandemic
24/03/2020 Shelter has warned that legislation to suspend new eviction cases during the coronavirus pandemic does not go far enough as 20,000 evictions set to go ahead. |
Scottish council chiefs welcome extra social care support
24/03/2020 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Scottish government’s commitment to give extra support to councils to support social care in the face of Covid-19. |
Government issues guidance on isolation for residential educational settings
23/03/2020 Social workers who need to investigate child protection concerns should be admitted to the home while taking infection control measures, according to guidance. |
£3bn bed blocking coronavirus cash injection
19/03/2020 Almost £3bn of the Government’s £5bn Covid-19 funding will go towards freeing up at least 15,000 English hospital beds by the end of next week, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced. |
Schools shut down to stop spread of Covid-19
19/03/2020 All schools, colleges and early years settings will be closed as of next week as part of the effort to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. |
Social care inspections halted to focus on the ‘global health emergency’
17/03/2020 The social care regulator in England has announced it will be stopping all inspections in order to focus on supporting providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Councils secure funding to deliver preventative HIV drug
16/03/2020 Local authorities in England will receive £16m to deliver the preventative HIV treatment PrEP. |
Budget 2020: £5bn emergency fund to fight coronavirus
11/03/2020 The Government has promised to deliver a £5bn emergency fund to help manage the extra pressures the NHS and social care are facing in the wake of coronavirus. |
Two million over-55s in ‘dangerous’ homes
05/03/2020 Over two million over-55s are living in a home that endangers their health and wellbeing, an alarming new report has revealed. |
Cornwall Council announces ‘ground-breaking’ joint leadership role
25/02/2020 Cornwall Council has announced a joint agreement with NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group as part of a new approach to working on social care, health commissioning and public health services. |
Life expectancy stalls for the first time in a century
25/02/2020 Life expectancy has stopped improving for the first time in more than 100 years, and has actually declined for England’s poorest women, according to a new study. |
Think tank launches £3m fund to support community ‘wellbeing’
21/02/2020 A think tank has launched a £3m fund to empower community organisations and the health and care sector to work together to boost community wellbeing. |
Handyperson Services ‘unsung heroes’ in supporting independent living
20/02/2020 A new report has called for the work done by Handyperson Services in keeping vulnerable people safe to be fully recognised by commissioners. |
Charity warns of ‘deep’ health inequalities
20/02/2020 A charity has warned of ‘unacceptable’ health inequalities in how long and how healthy babies born today in different parts of England can expect to live. |
Majority of homeless women suffer mental health issues
17/02/2020 A new study has revealed that the vast majority of women who are homeless suffer from physical or mental health issues. |
Scotland has ‘highest rate’ of homeless deaths in Britain, figures reveal
06/02/2020 Scotland has over twice the number of homelessness deaths than England, ‘experimental statistics’ reveal. |
Public health cuts leading to 'spiralling' STI rates
05/02/2020 Local authority leaders have called for more investment into public health services as a new report reveals that there is an STI diagnosis every 70 seconds in England. |
Nearly 300 children start smoking every day, figures show
03/02/2020 Campaigners have called for tobacco manufacturers to pay to end smoking after figures show 280 children in England start smoking every day. |
Commission puts health devolution back on political agenda
03/02/2020 A new Commission calling for the devolution of health and social care services has been launched today. |
'Chasm' exists in children's mental health services, Commissioner warns
30/01/2020 There is a ‘chasm’ between what mental health services children need and what is available, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today. |
Thousands miss out on drug services due to cuts, charity finds
29/01/2020 At least 12,000 people experiencing homelessness missed out on vital drug and alcohol services last year, new research has revealed. |
Brighton considers becoming a ‘car-free’ city
28/01/2020 Brighton & Hove City councillors have agreed to look into the possibility of the city becoming ‘car-free’ by 2023. |
Indoor air pollution linked to respiratory problems in children
28/01/2020 Doctors call for local authorities to be given more powers to deal with air quality in homes and schools as a new study links indoor air pollution with respiratory problems in children. |
Councils call for £500m to upgrade outdated leisure centres
27/01/2020 A quarter of all council-run leisure centres have not been refurbished in more than 20 years, new figures have revealed. |
Boroughs in GP estate devolution call
24/01/2020 London Councils has called for more devolution to boroughs of decisions on the GP estate. |
Think tank launches new strategy to tackle ‘poor health outcomes’
24/01/2020 The King’s Fund has announced a new strategy which places a ‘stronger focus’ on improving health and care services for people who currently have the poorest health outcomes. |
Dementia patients being 'stranded' in hospitals
22/01/2020 More than 1,000 people with dementia are being admitted into A&E every day, new data has revealed. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
